The evening of storytelling, music and poetry begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4 and is free.

Cole is a former university president and professor who has been performing as the humorist Mark Twain for nearly 20 years. He is a member of the Asheville Storytelling Circle, the Southern Order of Storytellers in Atlanta and the National Storytelling Network.

Legge is a renowned folk artist from Dillard, Ga., whose work has won national acclaim. His artwork will be on display at City Lights.

In addition to the musicians, also appearing are storytellers Nancy Reeder and, of course, Carden.

The Liar’s Bench is held the first Saturday of each month at City Lights and organizers are looking for local talent that would like to be a part of this event. For information contact Carden at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Reading Room

So, Scout (Jean Louise) comes back home to Maycomb — where “everyone is either kin or almost kin”— at age 26 and after being “away” and living in New York City for several years. Sixteen years have gone by since we last heard from her in the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Maycomb she comes home to isn’t the same Maycomb we know from the 1960 novel.

This Must Be the Place

For the better part of the last decade, my life during the summer was music festivals. From Maine to California, Michigan to Arkansas, I was there, in an endless crowd, cheering on the greatest musicians of our time. In those innumerable moments, I felt more alive, at home, and at peace, than anywhere else in the world.